Young Writers Society

Zenkile Celebi
Phoenix, Arizona

I kicked the wall twice before I gave up. For all I knew about Sarah, she wanted me to get to know Raegan better. I stomped to the bed and collapsed in it. "Every time you end up tying someone down, why do I have to be the one in charge?" I grumbled. Although I loved her, I knew I couldn't have her. She wasn't right for me, so said my father. So far, he was right. Sarah only had me for a friend and nothing more.
Raegan was silent, just silent enough for the both of us to hear noises coming from Sarah's room. Raegan ticked her head towards Sarah's room, slyly grinning.
I said, "I'm not going in there. I'm not even allowed in Sarah's room. Even in the bakery or here, Sarah's always asking for privacy. Don't ask me to go into forbidden territory. I got in trouble for that once, I'm not doing it agian."

Ariadne

As we tracked down the Shiva, there were other scents which wove along his path, some sooner than others, and I started to build a picture of his travelling companions. The first was a female vampire and he'd left the city with her. Now that one was simple enough, it was impossible to mistake that smell of graveyard dirt and smoking ashes, but the others. They were an odd assortment and it was hard to be entirely sure of their genetic make-up. One was a male who had a human smell, but with the faintest traces of willow underneath. Now that could either suggest he was an elf who had spent way too much time around humans, a hafling, a human who really liked willow bark tea or something in between. The other, a female, was stranger yet. She certainly had shifter blood but it wasn't pure. There were other smells caught up in it, smells like cities and trees that could again mean so many different things.

And then. We were practically there. I slowed to an easy, loping gait and passed through a grove of trees, the fallen leaves crunching softly under my paws. Then I broke through the other side and moved gracefully along a path. We passed a few small houses now but I didn't slow until we reached a particularly pretty one set slightly apart from the rest and smelling strongly of fresh bread and cakes.

"Here," I said to Kirun. "They're inside." I felt him dismount from my back and after he had, his hand lingered on the fur of my neck and then he petted me once, before retreating. I felt amused by the gesture.

"Should I knock?" Kirun asked.

"Yes," I replied, swishing my tail playfully. He looked across at me, as if wondering why I was still in Panther form but I gave him no answer. I didn't want to explain that as hungry as he would be, riding through the night with no food, I would be starving. For cats it's okay. They eat a big meal one day and then can go for two or three without any food. So the cat me was fine, a little agitated at the thought of going inside the human residence, but certainly not worried about food. The human me, however, would be exhausted and hungry and very irritable. She wanted more than a belly full of raw meet and it would be better for everyone if I located some food first.

"Shiva!" I called out as Kirun raised his fist to the door. "I have followed you and I am very hungry so you'd better get this door open quickly!"

Lester Shiva

I rose out of bed, quietly as I could so Sarah could rest. I had very little to do for myself, except maybe shed my scales. It's been seven centuries since I last shed, but it was no problem. I learned to shed from Serpentana males back at my shifter days, so I had some experience under my belt. I redressed myself in quick haste and went to the living room to dispose my old skin. Tossing the relic skin in the fireplace, I set it ablaze and watched it burn. As a dragon, I should have ate the skin. However, vampire skin was too nasty to eat. A Shiva could chew a vampire for self-defense, but it was unpardonable to swallow the vampire because the stomach of a Shiva is more sensitive than the other shifters.
A shout came from the other side of the front door. "Shiva! I have followed you and I am very hungry, so you'd better get this door open quickly!" It was no mistaking Kylla's voice. Felina shifters, pureblood or not, get angry when they don't have something in their bellies on time.
I murmured, "As you wish, Kylla. I'm coming." I had my hand on the doorknob when a scent of a willow tree caught my nose. Kylla had the Willow elf with her. As I opened the door, Kylla ran in and started raiding the kitcten for food. The Willow elf- Kirun, I found out from prying- walked in politely. I said, "You guys missed out on a little battle last night."
Kylla asked out the hallway about who owned the place.
I answered, "You'll have to smell me to figure that out, Kylla."

Daniel Farrell
Scotland

Outside the pub stood Sloth, holding on to the large sports bag against the pub’s wall, he was a lightweight when it came to drinking but he says he drinks too fast and because he drinks spirits. I expected him land head first on the concrete.
“You look completely plastered man.” I said laughing, but I’d have to put up with him and his stupid ranting the rest of the night. Damn. He attempted to speak, but then put his head down in shame. I found it funny.
I took the bag off him and held it in my spare hand. “Right, now you.” I ordered, waving him to come forward, he grabbed hold of the wall like his life depending on it then suddenly, he fell into me and with a burst of black mist he disappeared and nearly floored me in the process.
“Now where we going Mr. Reporter?” I said looking at the slightly startled human, who fixed his tie then said “To Phoenix, Arizona.” He turned and walked back over the hill with me following thinking fantastic now I’m going to get jet lag on top of having this twat in my head.
“I-I-I nee twat m’n, I’ll burst yee.” Sloth yelled impersonating a Glasgow ascent.
Great this couldn’t get any worse.
I entered the black Mitsubishi, waiting for us to reach the airport. It felt like a my lifetime repeated ten times. Not the best feeling in the world, I felt like Sloth was trying to rip my head it two.
Before I lost the plot at Sloth The reporter said “We’re here.” I looked to see us entering the airport and driving directly to a Gulfstream V private Jet, ad least I could take comfort in knowing we were the only ones on the jet.
The interior was homely, I eyed up the sofa and moved swiftly and crashed on it with my feet hanging of the side. I hadn’t heard from so I took it Sloth pasted out, I yawned and followed in his footsteps.

Later in Phoenix, Arizona

“Wake up, hey Wake up man!” Yelled sloth, I sat up like a bolt of lightning then realised we’d landed. I scratched my head then stood up.
The jet’s door opened and another black Mitsubishi was waiting for me, “So what should I call you if you’re gonna become my shadow? I asked the reporter as we entered the car, “Name’s Grahame and you need a shower.” He remarked. Cheeky git.
We stopped outside a hotel, five stars too. I really could get used to this kind of lifestyle again but all this isn’t the same as watching the sun rise and set.
We got into the hotel and entered my room, Grahame had his own, thank god. I took his advise and took a shower, while in there I started looking at my tattoos, I loved them all and was thinking about getting some on my face and neck but was still debating it. As I left the shower and rapped a towel round my waist Sloth said “I’m getting a shower too.” And before I could say anything he duplicated me and entered the bathroom.
I grabbed a pair of jeans and put them on, when Sloth came out of the shower, the hunt for the targets was on. I opened the seal around the samurai sword, for this job I will use this.

Sarah Arceus

After I managed to get dressed, I slunk to a secret passage that led to a room where my secret houseguest sat in a chair. She wasn't really human on the inside, but I didn't care. She was different from Lester and all my friends, but she was more than a friend and a houseguest. In a way, she was my nanny and mentor. She taught me everything I knew- the existance of the four main colonies and their languages. Today I was learning a different tongue from her, a tongue that I was beginning to struggle with. My first lesson was to speak it. I struggled vainly to pronounce the words right, but I kept making mistakes.
My mentor smiled at me and said in English, "Don't let it put you down, Sarah. You'll get it right, sooner or later. You're getting better at it, I can tell."
I took a breath and tried again. It wasn't easy to speak Demon, but Maria was right. I was getting better at it. It took me four hours to finally manage speaking in Demon fluently. I said in Demon, "There, now I have done it. I now talk like a demon."
Maria responded warningly, "Yes, but you don't smell like one. You have to know how to behave when faced by a demon. We demons are unpleasant creatures in our true forms, so we assume the form of humans to blend in. You, my intelligent pupil, must be brave and never break when tortured by one of my kind. Understand, lass?"
I promised I would never break. After that lesson, I returned to my bedroom and covered the hidden entrance. Maria was my secret mentor and nothing more. To trust her with someone else would mean the loss of my life. As long as I kept Maria a secret, my life was spared and I could live a good life. That was the deal I had with Maria.

Daniel Farrell
Phoenix, Arizona

I tighten the straps holding the trench in place, I began anticipating the aftermath of the job, imaging how my sister looks after all this time. My mind wondered I stood idle waiting.
Then three knock came on the door, the human. I could tell by the sound, he acted too high and mighty like he mattered at all in the situation. I ignored him and put on the belt that held the sword on my waist, then the side holsters for the colts for Sloth. Then lastly the short sword round sitting on my back under the coat.
Sloth exited the bathroom and walked towards me, “Got the Colts on?” I nodded and Grahame walked in and witnessed Sloth walking into me, turning to black mist, then reappeared on the other side of me.
“We’d better get moving, reports came in that the targets are in a cottage 16 miles from here.” He said, I think he’s getting used to the fact I’m more than one person, the fact I’m not human. I laughed to myself as he led us out the hotel to the car where another human sat in the drivers seat.
When we were seated in the back two profile sheets were pasted back to us, very basic, first was a photo of the vampire Lester, with a description and known abilities, one was a excellent sense of smell with a large range too..
“Is this information accurate?” I asked before I acted.
“Yes, all is the intel we gathered.”
“Sloth, I’m bring out the third.” I looked at him, worried about the after affect of doing this. I had no choice. I reached over sloth to the empty right window seat which Sloth quickly moved further from. I began releasing the third duplication, with Ira inside from the palm of my hand a controlled fire appeared, then a the final duplication of me appeared, he had hair the colour of a roaring fire. Now I was closet thing to human out of the three of us.
“Once we near the targets location, Ira and Sloth exit the car and move half a mile apart and move to 7 miles from the target and monitor from any high locations. I will move afar forward as I can.”
The handy thing about this ability is the fact, everything we find out is distributed between us but we, at the same time are individual people when apart only connected by thoughts. Ad least with this we’ll have warning if Lester smells us.
I sat in the car looking at the last profile of Sarah, bony lassie, beautiful eyes. I looked at the basic description, a shapeshifter? Interesting.
“There’s others with the targets, none are to be harmed at all costs.” Grahame said looking at me. Again looking as if he’s trying to be intimidating, I laughed.
The car stopped, we were 4 miles into this danger zone. We were nearing the edge of Phoenix, we stopped, we exited the car and moved up into a building over seeing the cottage, the other rural houses and the scenery with the night blue sky carefully watching over it all. I took the sword out the sheath, realising a beautiful ringing sound then looked at the blade. It was black, I never found out how my sister did that. It truly was a masterpiece.
All I could do now and wait.

Zenkile Celebi

Lester must've made friends before he and Raegan locked horns- pardon the pun in Lester's case. One of the two people who happened to show up was an elf. I knew just by the ears. The other person was a girl wearing a ninja suit, raiding Sarah's refrigerator like a hungry animal. I approached the girl carefully. Behind me, Lester called, "Zenkile, I wouldn't get any closer if I were-"
His warning came too late. The girl swatted me across the face and resumed her raid. I felt disordered for a minute, then suddenly I shook my head vigorously. I asked Lester, "Is that chica a Felina shapeshifter?"
Lester answered, "Yes. However, she's not a pureblood. She's Felina on her father's side." He sniffed at me a couple times. "You don't smell human, Zenkile. You got the scent of a willow tree on you. Is your father part Willow elf by any chance?"
I snapped, "I'm not an elf, you big bozo." I grunted angrily. "If Sarah asks where I am, tell her I'm still with Raegan." I went back to the room and just sat on the bed. Raegan was probably still curious of how I managed to declare Lester a Shiva. What was I to tell her? Whenever I get hit, I can tell which clan the hitter's from? That wouldn't do it. Then she might ask the same question Lester asked. I just lay there on the bed and stared at the ceiling.

Raegan Millahan

Zenkile looked sullen as he flopped onto the bed, ignoring Raegan's stare completely. She sniffed and dusted the table she was standing in front of one last time before moving to a chair nearer to the door. Call her paranoid, but she was definitely not going to be caught off-guard by the new...visitors. She glanced over at Zenkile.

"What's with that sullen look on your face? You look like you're about to throw a tantrum." She sniffed. Zenkile shot a glare at her. "Hey - I'm just saying."

"Oh, be quiet."

"Smart comeback." She narrowed her eyes at him. There was something he was trying to hide; she could sense it. "What's you damn problem this time?"

He simply rolled over. "Don't wanna talk about it."

Raegan sighed. Why do people have to be so difficult?

Zenkile Celebi

Hearing Raegan say that I look like I was going to throw a tantrum really annoyed me. First Lester's question about me being an elf, now Raegan's statement that I'm in a bad mood. Can this day get any worse? I laid back down and got on my side with my head facing the wall. What was I to tell Raegan? I was accused of being an elf? I rather not discuss it with her. I had enough drama for one day. If Raegan was a vampire- as Lester and Sarah insisted repeatedly- and from the Dark World that only Sarah knows of, then Raegan can just pry my head for all I care. I already had it up to my neck with all this drama and only God knows what happens when I lose my temper. I decided to just sleep on it. I had nothing else to do besides that. Unless Raegan wanted to talk to me and cheer me up- which is not very likely nowadays- with conversation, I'll just doze off and feel better in the morning.

Ariadne

Once my hunger was satisfied, I felt a little bad about demolishing so much food in some stranger's house. I'd have to make my apologies or something. And Shiva wanted to make it a game. Smell him to find out who owned the place? Huh. Like that was really necessary. I was pretty sure it was the girl, her scent seemed to be the strongest around here, and I'd just wanted conformation. But ah, why not play along.

Dutifully I gave Lester a sniff and first I found his scent but there was also... cat? Aha! So she wasn't just a shifter but maybe a cat shifter or... dogwood tree. Mmm hmm. Interesting. Well there was her scent and why did he smell so strongly of her anyway, unless? I frowned and looked up at him before taking a big sniff of the air and walking out of the room. Only one way to settle this.

I followed the scent all the way to the girl, leaving Kirun to introduce himself or whatever. And I found the girl and sure enough she smelled like graveyard dirt and Chinese papyrus paper. Lester's smell. Fine. Whatever. So he was sleeping with the girl, so what? What exactly was that supposed to tell me?

"Uh... hey," the girl said somewhat uncertainly as I sniffed her. I smiled and waited for her to sniff me back but maybe she didn't have that much cat blood in her or something because she just stood there. Great. Maybe she wouldn't understand about my need to gobble down half her food.

"I just ate loads of your food," I said bluntly.

"Oh. Well never mind. I guess you're a friend of Lester's?" I smirked in answer.

"Not as much of a friend as you," I said, feeling pretty satisfied to see her blush.

Kirun

I was automatically uncomfortable.

Kylla was now talking to the girl, that amused smirk crossing her cheeks in such a devious manner. As per usual, it was rather interesting to watch Kylla do anything at all, and interaction was something I found to be quite interesting.

The problem was, I was still standing here not knowing exactly what to do.

I flicked my eyes towards the only other familiar face. Lester Shiva. He stared back at me, pressed his hand against his hip, then nodded as if speaking was far too much effort in this case. I guess I really shouldn't have been surprised. Kylla was the one he wanted to speak to. The one who they all wanted to speak to. I was just here because she was.

"So," I murmured, shuffling from foot to foot. "I suppose I should probably introduce myself."

"No need," Lester replied. "You know who I am. I know enough about you to quell my curiosity. Thats all thats necessary."

I grimaced, flicking my eyes towards the ground. Yep, this was definitely a whole different playground than humanity. I was back in the world of preternatural oddities. I would have to get used to this.

"Then I don't suppose pleasantries are sustainable," I muttered.

Instead of wasting my time in an awkward conversation, I followed after Kylla with almost instinctive obediance. She was talking with the girl still of whose name I had yet to pry. She looked embarrassed.

Her scent, though, was something I found quite preculiar.

Sarah Arceus

The ninja-like girl sniffed at me a couple times more, as if she was curious of who or what I was. Something inside me said slyly, Show her your wings. My face was turning an embarassed red, so I looked at Lester for help.
The musky smell of pleasure was spewing out of his skin again. He just smiled at me and nodded.
I spread my wings and said, "The name's Arceus, Sarah Arceus. I am the daughter of the Red Panther. And you must be..." I sniffed at her a few times. "...a Felina half-breed. Childhood name Kylla." I smiled. "Lovely name."
Lester went to my kitcten and yelled, "Damn! Kylla really killed the food supply here, Sarah. Hope ya got some money on ya, 'cause this is a lot of money to spend."
I said calmly, "No worry. There's plenty more where all that came from."

I slid the sword back in its sheath and took a seat on the edge of the building, it was probably a twenty story high building with the two humans standing behind me together smoking. The smoke poured out of their mouths in my direction, I couldn’t stand it but instead of getting up and staining their disgusting blood on my black blade, which I should of done, I when in a mode that’s between sleep and meditation.
I was sitting on a chair in a black room, I could feel sloth and Ira behind me.
“What’s bugging you?” I heard Sloth whisper in my left ear, like a ghost from a horror film.
“This job, I don’t like it.” I said bluntly, “I just have a feeling something is being hidden from me by the employer, and then humans, I’ve never had anyone doubt me then insult me by sending humans to babysit me.”
A projector screen rolled down in front of me and images from my past was feed onto the screen, I could see me and my sister but… I couldn’t see her face it, like when the tv blurs out peoples face but it wasn’t just her, and her voice disappeared before it entered me ears but I could tell you everything she said when I was around as if I was reading it off a script. But it was everyone I knew, my parents, my friends I went to school with, everyone.
“Living a long life doesn’t pay off I can tell you that.” I said, I heard Ira laugh. His metal plated hand crashed on my shoulder and then said with his commanding voice, “Stop sulking my friend or I’ll give you something to sulk about.” His hand tightened then released. Sometime’s I wonder if he ever felt loss but Ira was too angry to feel anything else. What he said to me is the closet thing to caring he gets.
“You two get ready, its almost morning.” I said. Time goes faster here I feel like every time I go there, in this place, I loose a bit more of myself but it could be my imagination in this place of sanity and insanity.
I opened my eyes to see the sun slowly rising, beautiful. I looked but to see the humans gone, they must of headed back to the hotel. I stood up and placed the samurai sword back on its belt. Suppose I should get moving.

Ariadne

Half breed. If I'd had fur, it would have been standing on end and as it was, I could feel the short hairs across my arms bristing. My hands clenched into fists and I dropped into a fighting stance, a low hiss escaping from beneath my lips. It didn't matter that she had wings. It didn't matter that I'd just ate all her food. Anger isn't rational and right now I could feel it pumping through me so fast like air into a balloon. Her calm, disregard for me added further to the annoyance.

"Oh very clever," I said tartly. "Tell the room what they already heard with their own ears." It did occur to me that she'd probably not meant it as an insult though, since she herself was far from a pureblood. So I backed off a little. I straightened my pose and turned by back on her stiffly before stomping over to Kirun.

"Does she smell as bad to you as she does to me?" I asked snarkily. It wasn't fair of course and she didn't smell bad, no not really. But. But she made me feel like a child. She made me feel the way Shiva had with his mind reading and his overbearing destiny. Kirun gave a noncomittal shrug.

"Your father didn't come," Lester said quietly.

"Stay out of my mind, Shiva." I'd been wondering about that myself but I supposed father really must have turned docile. He hadn't taken on a job for quite a while now.

"He seems loyal to me and he let you come and yet he did not come himself."

"You'd have to ask him. Maybe he'd come if you begged."

Lester Shiva

Kylla's attitude was unacceptable to the royal dragon in me, but I held it back for Sarah's sake. I was in a house that had rooms too small to hold a full grown dragon, so if I were to transform I'd have to take it outside. Eying Sarah, I noticed that her scales didn't rattle. It was like she never met a half-blood Felina in her life. As for Kylla's father, I never met him yet he has loyalty to me. I never knew some other shapeshifters would understand my innocence and wait for me to clear my long-blackened name. It just warms my heart for such knowledge. I crossed my arms against my chest and said, "Now, don't get testy with me, Kylla. I could've asked, but I didn't have the time."
Sarah walked towards me and stood on her toes to kiss my cheek. She started to walk slowly away from me, her wings making themselves vanish out of thin air and herself smiling slyly. Once she disappeared into the hall, she giggled childishly.
I had nothing to say for that. Kylla knew I slept with Sarah, that was a fact written on my skin. I sat before the fireplace and set the logs ablaze with my mind. The warmth of fire was welcoming to me, but my vampire skin trembled. I asked sadly, "Could you...call your father for me, Kylla?" I didn't want to hurt her more than I already did, so I kept myself away from prying Kylla's mind to get the phone number for myself. I was raised a gentleman, so it was only fair if I be modest.